River Country Heritage Water Trail

Navigate the streams and rivers of St. Joseph County in southwest Michigan and catch a glimpse the past, discover historic and natural sites, and charming small towns. It a lazy or not so lazy day going with the flow.

Rent canoes and kayaks or bring your own and paddle along the St Joseph River, Nottawa Creek, and Portage River discovering historic sites, picnic areas and cultural and natural points of interest along the way.The River Country Heritage Water Trail is made up of three different river trails two along the St. Joseph River and one along the Nottawa Creek.

The entire Heritage Water Trail takes you from Colon, Magic Capital of the World, to Mendon, originally an Indian Village and trading center, to Three Rivers which has retained its historical look, with much of the downtown area on the National Historical Register, complete with its turn-of-the-century buildings and the Silliman House on the St. Joseph River.

Riverside signs along the entire trail tell the stories of the area including Potawatomi villages, fur traders, mills, historic and natural sites. The signs also explain where you are and how far it is to the next access point is.

The River Country trail is part of the Michigan Heritage Water Trails program coordinated byWesternMichiganUniversityin conjunction with the Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries.